


ℍ𝔸𝕍𝔼ℕ

by K_T13



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awkward Tension, Character Development, Discovering semblance, Donghyuck fucked up, Eventual Romance, Fighting, Finding aura, First time fighting, Fluff, Huntsmen and Huntresses, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan is Whipped, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mark Lee (NCT) is a Mess, Mark just wants to get through the year, Mark wants to find his true home, Monsters of Grimm, New School Year, Oblivious Mark Lee (NCT), Past Child Abuse, RWBY: World of Remnant au, Running Away, Sweet Mark Lee (NCT), Training, Using dust, Weapons, everyone is a crackhead, learning how to fight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:48:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23416252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_T13/pseuds/K_T13
Summary: If you had told younger Mark that he was going to grow to become a part of a team of huntsmen that fought monsters for a living, he would’ve internally laughed at the ridiculousness of that statement and externally gave you a judgemental face.orA story of how a caged bird escaped its cramped cage to soar through the endless skies to meet new experiences, a true family, and a true love.Cross-published on Wattpad! Account name: kymllm93
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕦𝕖

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my lovely readers! I'm sure many of you don't know this but I had published this story before when it was still starting XD. This was the first fanfiction that I had posted on this account, however, I ultimately deleted it due to the fact that I was no longer satisfied with any of the chapters! Therefore, I had restarted this story from the top and now I'm back to publish this story once again!
> 
> I do not have a set schedule for the updates of this story, so just a heads up, updates will be slow!

Mark was oblivious to the wonders of Remnant outside of the strong enclosed walls that shut him out from the public’s eye. He thought he wouldn’t ever have the chance to live freely, but when the chance to escape was suddenly handed to him, he grasped it tightly and impulsively did what he never thought he would be able to do. 

Now that he’s thrown into the completely different world of huntsmen and huntresses, horrific monsters of Grimm, dust, and semblances, will he be able to survive? Will he be able to stop hiding and running? Will Mark be able to truly discover himself and find his destiny? 

_“I may be scared, but I’m not running. Not anymore.”_


	2. 𝕆𝕟𝕖: 𝕆𝕙 𝕆𝕫...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breathing in the summer air, Mark decided to worry about his physical manifestation later, and instead enjoy summer with his fellow members. He realized that he avoided doing that for most of the season. Mark frowned at that thought. He felt bad for not hanging out with the rest of NCT, especially the other dreamies. He decided to spend the rest of the week with them, and he smiled at the thought. His smile faltered, however when he remembered a certain someone that he’s most likely to encounter later.
> 
> _‘Oh Oz…’_

In the beautiful kingdom of Vale, the weather was always perfect in any season and summer was no exception. When the sun peeked out of the horizon, its rays shone the land, nature, and city streets, a sign for life to rise on a new day. Owners were opening their stores, adults were getting ready for work with a cup of coffee on their hands, and younglings were waking up to spend another day with their friends before their summer break ended. Looking into the kingdom’s haven, the castle-like structure, being the home and workplace for the most elite teams and protectors as well as leaders of the kingdom, was much calmer than the bustling city in the early morning. 

Of the NCT team, most of the older members were awake, lounging around with some coffee, tea, or a book. Taeyong was preparing breakfast for everyone; the sound of sizzling from the pan filled the silence as a few others enjoyed the peacefulness. The Dream members have yet to awaken, normally they’ll be up around the afternoon. One of the Dream members was already dressed however and skipped to the kitchen in a particularly happy mood. 

Now, this was indeed strange. Mark Lee was not a morning person any day of the week, so to say that Jaehyun and Yuta were shocked to see the younger in such a chirpy mood was an understatement, they were utterly baffled. Mark was humming a tune as he washed a mug to make some tea and Taeyong stopped cooking to stare at Mark incredulously for a moment. He glanced at Jaehyun and Yuta but they just shrugged and went back to what they were doing previously.

“Mark…?” Taeyong asked cautiously. Mark turned around quickly, holding his mug of freshly made earl grey close to his chest. Mark was so into his own little world that he didn’t seem to notice his hyungs were around. 

“Uhm...good morning?” Mark softly asked while blinking rapidly. He noticed that Jaehyun and Yuta glanced at him and he felt a tad bit embarrassed that some saw him, but Taeyong smiled endearingly at him.

“Morning. What’s gotten you in such a good mood? I believe it’s only around 7 o'clock. And knowing you, you would still be in your pajamas sleeping till noon?” Taeyong pointed out, a smirk etched across his face. Yuta looked at Mark’s outfit and raised an eyebrow.

“Where are you heading to?” 

Mark turned to Yuta and smiled sheepishly. 

“It’s… a secret,” Mark said while taking an apple from the fruit basket on the kitchen island. The other three looked at him in confusion but shrugged. They didn’t question any further, even though Mark was acting quite strangely. And in the morning for one! Mark quickly drank his scalding hot tea and placed his mug in the sink. He had his apple in his hand and dashed out of the kitchen, seemingly excited for...whatever reason, his hyungs just didn’t know. 

“Wait, Mark! You need a proper breakfast! Get back here!” Taeyong hollered in the realization that the younger didn’t take any of the delicious omelets with bacon he made.

~

It was towards the end of the summer, the next school year in SM academy just around the corner. SM Academy was quite stressful, with all students required to succeed academically and to train hard to be potential huntsmen. No matter what year you were in, the workload was tough. But those were the kind of measures needed if you dreamed of graduating and becoming one of the heroes in humanity. 

The members of NCT Dream, most would say, were the chosen ones in the city. The leaders of Vale have several elite teams of huntsmen including, EXO, Super Junior, Shinee, SNSD, Red Velvet, F(x), TVXQ, and their newest establishment, NCT. The members of each group were chosen carefully by the leaders, and NCT Dream consisted of the potential huntsmen that would officially join after they graduate. However, one member of the seven was different from the others. And that was Mark. 

He was surely the odd one out in a combat school like SM. He was not seen in any of the training lessons or practice missions like everyone else. The most likely place you’ll find him in was probably the library or music room. No one ever saw his fighting style or weapon, if he had them. The younger Dream members haven’t seen them either. They knew of their eldest not participating in training lessons and not having a personal weapon, but they never questioned it. After all, Mark was the first member of Dream four years ago, and when they all gradually met over the years, none of the others really questioned the role that Mark had. None really thought that it mattered, Mark was their hyung and close friend. The relationship between the seven of them was strong, they’ve been with each other through the difficult times that certain ones had. As the years passed, the bond only grew stronger.

It wasn’t until an incident that occurred when Summer started, that things were going to take a turn. Let’s just say that the new school year will bring about a whole bunch of surprises for everyone. And the first surprise will start with Mark’s secret.

When Mark left the gates, he quickly froze and pivoted his head several times to check his surroundings. On instinct, he lifted the hood of his sweatshirt to encase himself in the blue fabric. After ensuring himself that the coast was clear, he calmed himself down and smiled. As Mark strolled through the streets of Vale, he took his time to appreciate the warmth of the morning air. The sky still had a slight orangish hue, giving the surroundings a warm color. Mark hated waking in the mornings; he just wasn’t that type of person. But he had to admit, there were some little things to appreciate. Maybe waking up a little earlier wasn’t that bad. He turned to the right, to a more quiet street with him being the only person outside. As he finished his apple, the place that he was headed to appeared in his sight. He disposed of the apple core in a nearby compost bin and skipped to the old run-down, yet lively, blacksmith and weaponry shop.  
He turned to the alleyway and knocked on the back door, the loud echoes resounding to the narrow and quiet alley. Lots of rustling and banging came from the inside followed by curses and groans. Mark rolled his eyes and waited patiently. The heavy metal door finally opened with a tall man with cat-like eyes to meet Mark.

“Oh! You came early! How’s it going, Mark?” The man asked with a big smile. Mark smiled back and couldn’t help but laugh at the tousled black hair and smudges of grease on his face.

“Hey Daniel-hyung, I’m doing fine. And you got a little something over here…,” Mark pointed to his own left cheek. Daniel laughed in embarrassment.

“Is it handsomeness?” Daniel smirked at Mark. Mark raised an eyebrow and cocked his head in a joking manner.

“You? Handsome? Sure.” 

Daniel’s smirk fell and pouted at the offensive comment.

“So mean...I’m your hyung,” He sulked and Mark rolled his eyes, “Are you gonna let me in or not?” 

Daniel straightened up in the realization that his large body was blocking the whole doorway. He let out a laugh and moved aside to allow the younger in. 

“So is it finished?” Mark asked as he maneuvered his way through the many objects lying on the floor to get the main workroom. The Raven Wings was the only blacksmith shop in the whole city. The shop had been standing there ever since the city came to life, but as time went on business became slow due to high technology and weaponry that spread from Atlas. Fewer and fewer huntsmen came to visit this old run-down place, but no matter what, the liveliness and pure homey feel never disappeared. 

“Yes, it is Mark! Oh, I can’t wait to show you the end result!” Daniel said excitedly. Mark stepped into a large room, with tables of swords, shields, and spears. The walls had bulletin boards covered with papers of designs, and loads of different heaters and metals were everywhere, as well as a large number of hammers that were definitely misplaced. A woman with goggles stopped her inspection of the dagger in her hands and turned around to see two. She smiled widely at the sight of Mark and jumped up.

“Markie! So good to see you, honey!” Her long platinum hair and pale skin were exceptionally clean of any dirt. The bags under her eyes were quite obvious due to excessive stress, but it seemed that the sight of the familiar younger boy brought loads of joy to relieve that.

“Hi Moonbyul-noona,” Mark giggled and went in for the hug that she offered.

“You must be here for your weapon, correct? Daniel, can you bring it here?” She asked sweetly. Her hands were still holding Mark on his shoulders. Her excitement was radiating through her smile and Mark couldn’t help but smile softly.

“Already on it.” 

“Say, where is everyone else?” Mark wondered as he looked around the room. Moonbyul’s arms fell from his shoulders.

“Oh, they’re all just asleep. I came down here early to start some work. So how was your summer Mark? I know you spent quite a lot of time here for us to help forge your weapon, but since you skipped out for a week, I’m sure you took the time to be with your members? School starts in a week you know,” Moonbyul rambled, eager to listen to the young boy’s experiences.

“Oh. Uh-” Mark broke the eye contact and rubbed his arm in nervousness. “To be honest, not mu-” He began only to be interrupted by a loud bang from Daniel. The tall man seemed to smack the object he was holding on a table, creating the loud bang he just made. His other hand was on his hip and his cute smile showed an immense amount of pride.

“Ta-da! Here you go, Mark! Made exactly how you wanted!” Mark looked up to see a silver metal backpack with two perpendicular lines for the seams, probably where the backpack would open. Mark walked up to get a closer look and he was in awe. It was thin and very sleek. The metal shined in the light, giving its overall simple look. It was quite small and simple looking, but the shine from the clean metal gave its look more appeal. 

“Wow...so this is it?” Mark stared in amazement. His eyes just couldn’t leave the object, overall he was so overwhelmed. He couldn’t actually believe that his weapon was now real and in front of him. Mark reached out and felt the cool smooth metal. He was even able to see his own reflection from it. 

“And you can’t forget these,” Daniel handed Mark a pair of thin, flat bracelets that were similar in color with a thin line that seemed to show a hollow core through the bracelet. The core seemed to be filled with black dust.

“Oh my Oz, can I try it?” Mark asked, his eyes holding a sparkle and Moonbyul had to refrain herself from pinching his cheeks. 

“Of course you can! Go go, put them on!” She urged. Mark carefully snapped the bracelets on both of his wrists and took a good look at them. He paused and looked over to Daniel.

“What do I do now?” Mark questioned. Daniel raised an eyebrow in confusion and stared at the younger boy.

“Aren’t you just going to use your aura?” Mark raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“What?” Both stared at each other in confusion for a minute or so before Moonbyul clapped her hands to break the awkward silence. 

“Mark…” She gestured to catch his attention. The boy looked at her with his big doe eyes and waited.

“The weapon uses dust in order to function,” She said slowly as if she was breaking big news to Mark.

“Well yes I know that but-”

“-but in order to activate it, you need to use your aura,” She concluded with her hands clasped together. Mark opened his mouth but paused before going-

“Ohhhhh. That. is well…” Mark drawled in nervousness. He had completely forgotten about that major factor. The two others in the room glanced at each other and sighed.

“I guess you can only test it when you have your aura activated,” Moonbyul crossed her arms and shook her head.

“I guess so," Mark laughed softly.

“Well you can still manually open it and check the swords later,” Daniel patted the backpack. Mark looked at it with slight disappointment to his eyes. He nodded in understanding and took the backpack in his hands. It was quite light, not at all what he was expecting, and very small. It made carrying look much easier, which was a relief for Mark.

“I think I’m gonna head back now. I should probably make the most of what’s left of the summer before school starts,” Mark sighed and clutched the backpack to his chest. Daniel and Moonbyul both smiled and nodded in unison.

“Thank you so much though. For helping me make this happen. You guys really are amazing. And I still insist on paying you for this-” Daniel cut him off with his hand.

“-But we will not accept. We already told you that we’ll help with anything you need. So we will not receive payment from you, got it?” Daniel crossed his arms and laughed at Mark’s pout.

“You are a part of this family Mark. Ever since you arrived in this city and stumbled upon Raven Wings, the girls and I basically adopted you. And when we hired Daniel, it didn’t take long for the six of us to be a sort of a family. This shop is always a home and a safe place for you. You aren’t a customer to us you know?” Moonbyul assured Mark, who only looked down shyly.

“Fine, I won’t pay. But I am eternally grateful for your help with this,” Mark replied while bowing slightly. 

“Oh no. Don’t bow. It’s weird,” Daniel cringed. Mark straightened and narrowed his eyes at him.

“Not as weird as you.” 

Daniel scrunched his nose at him only for the younger to mirror his action. Moonbyul laughed loudly at their silliness.

“I’m sure Mark has to get going. Daniel! The metal ain’t gonna be hammered itself, so get to work already!” Moonbyul hollered at Daniel, who only jumped and quickly ran to his station flustered. 

Mark giggled and shook his head. He truly did love how real and comfortable this place was. He waved goodbye to Moonbyul and left with his new backpack in his arms. Now that his weapon was done, he needed to work on his aura. Somehow.

Mark walked down the familiar streets to the castle and saw that the sun was shining brightly over him. He looked around to see people bustling over the streets in whatever business they were invested in. 

Breathing in the summer air, Mark decided to worry about his physical manifestation later, and instead enjoy summer with his fellow members. He realized that he avoided doing that for most of the season. Mark frowned at that thought. He felt bad for not hanging out with the rest of NCT, especially the other dreamies. He decided to spend the rest of the week with them, and he smiled at the thought. His smile faltered, however when he remembered a certain someone that he’s most likely to encounter later.

_‘Oh Oz…’_


	3. 𝕋𝕨𝕠: 𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕪'𝕣𝕖 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕟 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unbeknownst to him, Donghyuck, too, seemed to notice the slight hesitation and stiffness in Mark's hug back. Donghyuck internally sighed, as he knew that this tension between them would most likely linger for a long while. He just hoped that it wouldn't be this way forever.

"How did this summer end so quickly?" Chenle groaned dramatically, sprawled across a couch. Renjun glanced his way judgmentally before turning back to his book.

"You do realize that we have another week left of summer, right?" he reminded the younger. Jisung nodded in agreement and smacked the green-haired boy's head, the latter squawking indignantly at the youngest.

"Yeah, there's still time to have fun before going back to that hell hole!" Jisung declared.

"What do you mean 'going back'? This'll be your first year in the academy. We're the ones going back," Chenle corrected, pointing his finger at Jisung's forehead as if trying to get the clarification into his skull. Jeno hummed from his spot on the floor, "There isn't that much to do though. We already ventured out into every corner of the city together." Chenle and Jisung peered at his head with deep frowns on their faces but Jeno only shrugged at the truth in his statement.

Jaemin, who laid across Jeno's lap, huffed and crossed his arms. "You say 'together' when really one of us hasn't been here. Like. At all, " he grumbled, trailing his eyes to his right to glare at Donghyuck sitting at one of the single armchairs. Donghyuck looked up from his scroll, feeling the weight of the former's glare, and threw a questioning glance at the pink-haired boy.

"What are you talking about, I've been here."

Jaemin sat up in frustration and rolled his eyes, "I wasn't referring to you. It's Mark-hyung!" he exclaimed as he threw his arms up in the air. "I've had it with you two. Just how long can the both of you stand this? It's been a month and neither of you tried to talk things out. This just got to the point where Mark completely avoided you, which meant avoiding us."

Donghyuck froze at his outburst and his eyes darkened, not looking up to the rest of the dreamies. They all stayed silent, some giving looks of sympathy to the crestfallen boy, but Jaemin only glared more intensely.

The fight between Donghyuck and Mark wasn't necessarily a physical fight between the two, but there were quite a bit of outbursts of anger and yelling involved. The orange-haired sighed and shook his head, his mind immediately thought back to the beginning of their summer, when this dilemma had started.

~

_It was the first day of summer, and all the Dreamies were relieved to have some weeks off from the stress of exams and training to relax and have fun. The older members of NCT suggested a trip to the mountainside, east from the city. They invited all of the Dream members to go as well, saying the experience of being around pure nature was worth it, along with it being a good chance to grasp what being a huntsman in the wild was like. They were elated when told the news and were extremely hyped to go beyond the borders of the city for once. However, there was one small factor that all from the crew except one, didn't take into account._

_Mark wasn't a huntsman in training like the rest of the Dream team; he was just a normal boy. The reason why he joined NCT and SM Academy was unknown to most of the group. It wasn't a topic that was ever spoken about and surprisingly, no one had ever asked Mark about it directly either. Donghyuck couldn't help but feel slight concern, for Mark wasn't trained to be in the presence of the regions beyond the city, where hundreds of dangerous Grimm lurked about._

_"What kind of clothing should I bring for a camping trip?" Mark asked Donghyuck while staring into his open closet with a blank mind. The latter merely shrugged from his seat at Mark's chair, playing with the older's random pen on the desk. It was a few days before the day of their trip, and Mark was hastily trying to pack and get ready, unable to subdue his excitement._

_"It doesn't really matter, does it? Are you going to put on a fashion show for the birds and other critters?" Donghyuck asked with a slight sarcastic mocking tone, an attempt to mask his inner turmoil. He had spent countless hours worrying and imagining all the possibilities that would come out of this camping trip. Venturing outside the borders of the kingdom was an activity for huntsmen and huntresses, so Donghyuck couldn't ignore his deep worry for the older's safety. It was unlikely that Mark would've been armed with anything to protect him._

_"Haha, very funny. I'll just go with my endless set of jeans and sweatshirts then. I don't have any of that fancy specialized huntsmen clothing that's waterproof, fireproof, and bulletproof, designed to withstand all the forces of nature and blows from monsters and enemies alike, or whatever," said Mark, carelessly waving his hand in the air with a hint of jealousy in his voice. Donghyuck snorted and turned his body to stare at Mark's back. The latter was now shuffling through his rack of sweatshirts, occasionally tapping his cheek to ponder over his choice._

_"That's an exaggeration. Who even told you all that?" he huffed in disbelief._

_"Johnny-hyung. He's always flaunting his custom-designed jackets and criticizing everyone else's style. Fashion evaluation, he calls it," Mark laughed, still facing his closet and not looking at the other boy in his room._

_Donghyuck rolled his eyes, "Well, it's not completely true. Not all combat clothing is like that. There's not much of a difference in the material on certain items, to be honest. It's more about the style, more flamboyant than casual clothes."_

_It was then that Mark peered over his shoulder while holding up a royal blue sweatshirt to smile teasingly at Donghyuck._

_"Oh? Using big boy words aren't you?"_

_Donghyuck scoffed and threw the pen at the older, striking it at Mark's hip. "Shut up."_

_"Rude," Mark remarked, smile weakening as his light giggles faded away and he softly rubbed on the spot on his hip that Donghyuck struck with unexpected strength. He sighed and gathered a line of sweatshirts and jeans, proceeding to pile them on his bed while Donghyuck went back to being silent and occupying himself by staring mindlessly at the walls. The nagging worry stemmed into his stomach, making it difficult to distract those thoughts. How could he voice his concern for Mark's well being? He was never the type of person to talk about his feelings, for he was one to act upon them instead, however, in a case like this, it was much more complicated._

_He saw Mark's figure turn to him from his peripheral vision and when the latter moved closer to where he sat, he tried not to notice._

_"What's the matter?" Mark sighed, stepping into his view. "You don't seem to be very excited about this trip. At least, not excited as I am."_

_Donghyuck raised his head to finally meet Mark's eyes. They were the usual wide and doe-like, but it had a soft undertone of confusion and worry and he felt his heart clench at the sight._

_"Hm?" Donghyuck tried to play it off, unable to look away from his gaze. "What do you mean?"_

_"Don't play dumb," Mark grumbled, crossing his arms. "You've been quite distracted since you came in here. What is it? You know you can tell me anything that's on your mind."_

_Of course, he knew that. There wasn't anything that the two of them haven't shared. The bond that both of them shared was strong and stable, so the trust towards one another was undeniable. But still, it was hard for Donghyuck to reveal his concerns, especially when he was afraid that it might have given away too much about how he truly felt for the older._

_"Well...this would be your first time going beyond the city's borders...right?"_

_"Yeah, it will be. Technically, it would be my first time ever entering a forest and venturing out to the mountainside. Why?" asked Mark, his eyebrows arching in question._

_"Uh- well, maybe you shouldn't go. It's not that great out there anyway. It's just a bunch of trees, infested with insects, high humidity, and do you know how uncomfortable it is to sleep on the ground? Even with a sleeping bag, you are guaranteed to get back pains when you wake up in the morning. Oh and don't get me started on the lack of signal. You can't survive without the internet these days," babbled Donghyuck, dismissing any thought of the good that came from camping from his mind as he listed as many negative aspects as he could._

_Mark gaped for a moment before scrunching his nose. "What?"_

_"I'm just saying," Donghyuck finished, shrugging his shoulders. Mark huffed in disbelief and moved back to sit on the edge of his bed. "But aren't you still going to go?" he then asked, causing Donghyuck to momentarily pause and realize the gaps in his plan. When he didn't say anything, Mark sighed in impatience._

_"What is this really about?" he pressed on, but this time in a soft voice of pleading to understand and then Donghyuck knew he was ultimately screwed. After taking a deep breath, Donghyuck slowly explained his hesitance and concerns for Mark coming along to the camping trip, keeping it clear that Mark had no way of protecting himself against the mortal dangers within the wild. Mark sat quietly and listened intently, but Donghyuck took notice of Mark's expression morphing from seriousness, to confusion, and finally to shock. When he had finished, there was a moment of tense silence, a silence that was too unbearable for Donghyuck, as he was already anticipating the kind of reaction that was to come._

_"So I'll just stay here for the entirety of you guys being gone for a week? Sounds so exciting to be alone," Mark finally broke the silence, barking in sarcasm, with his arms stubbornly crossed._

_Maybe Donghyuck was blowing this situation out of proportion, however, there was a lingering discomfort in his chest that wasn't leaving. It was sending signals to every part of his body, a feeling that only left him thinking that something unfortunate was going to happen if Mark proceeded to come along to this trip. He couldn't argue with him, for he knew that it would never end well and because deep down he had felt bad._

_The last part that Mark spoke of, held a much deeper meaning than it sounded like. Donghyuck was aware of how uncomfortable it was for the older to be alone. With the constant number of missions that the older members of NCT took, backed up with long hours of training and school missions for the younger members of Dream, it resulted in Mark being left out in those activities and not seeing them so often. Although Mark never spoke of his disappointment when any of them had to temporarily leave, it was obvious to Donghyuck for he easily noticed the saddened eyes and the fake smiles whenever he bid goodbye before any of their departures. This chance of spending time with the whole team was a huge opportunity for Mark. Donghyuck didn't wish to take that away since a small part of him wanted Mark to come along, but he just didn't want anything unfortunate to happen._

_"Okay, you make a good point, but still..." Donghyuck sheepishly said, unsure. He avoided the older's piercing gaze and occupied his hand by scratching the back of his neck. He heard Mark sigh and shyly spared a glance at him, only to meet Mark's softened eyes staring back at him with assurance. He had felt his heart flip at such a sweet sight but refocused his attention when Mark's mouth opened to speak._

_"I'm sure I'll be fine. After all... I am surrounded by professionally trained huntsmen, so I can count on you all to make sure I'm ok I guess," Mark smiled smugly before bringing his eyes to his lap at the end and twiddled with his thumbs in embarrassment._

_Donghyuck's eyes widened at such a statement and he couldn't help but be shocked at Mark's shrewdness. He knew from that smug undertone that Mark was trying to flatter him, despite Mark's words that surrounded the whole team, but when he watched the older's face flush, he couldn't help but give a small smirk._

_"If you put it that way... I guess I shouldn't have anything to worry about," Donghyuck gave in, making sure to roll his eyes when Mark whipped his head up wearing a bright grin. Mark laughed and stood up to walk back to his closet, ruffling Donghyuck's hair on the way. "Got that right."_

_And Donghyuck really didn't have much to worry about. Six days into the trip and everything went through smoothly. There was a lot of hiking, climbing on massive trees and mountains, and swimming in lakes with beautiful waterfalls. As for the Grimm lurking around, most of the older members in the team took care of them, fully aware of Mark being amongst them. It wasn't until the last day of the trip that things took a major turn._

_The Dreamies were trusted enough to hike on their own, with orders from Taeyong not to wander off too far from their base. Jaemin and Jeno scaled the trees to walk on the makeshift path the thick branches made up above while Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung remained close to the ground engaging in a conversation. Mark was at the front, stepping over a few logs as his widened eyes took in his surroundings with childlike wonder._

_It was truly an experience to be surrounded by the purity of mother nature and to breathe in the unpolluted air. This was by far, the most outdoors that Mark had done. Meanwhile, Donghyuck stayed close to Mark, occasionally glancing at their sides in case he sighted any Grimm closeby._

_"Haechan! Come check this out!" Renjun ushered, causing Donghyuck to turn his head towards him._

_Donghyuck glanced back at Mark, only to see him slightly crouched over some pretty flowers growing in the bushes. Donghyuck hesitantly faced Renjun and walked towards him. Chenle and Jisung were crouching over a patch of dirt amongst the grassy ground. He peered over to what looked to be a large bear-like footprint._

_"You figure it's an Ursa?" Donghyuck asked before Renjun nodded._

_"The footprint looks pretty recent too. There's a possibility that we're heading towards one. We should probably head back," Renjun concluded._

_While they discussed, Mark focused the camera on his scroll to take a few pictures of the vibrant yellow flowers. He'd never seen one like it and made a mental note to himself to search up the name after the trip is over. He softly smiled and clicked on his photos to check on them. As he was busy swiping through, he heard a low growl to his right, causing him to jump slightly. He put away his scroll and turned his head, only to meet with large green bushes. The bush growled again and Mark reached his hand slowly, curiosity getting the best over him._

_"Like you would do that," Jaemin challenged while laughing._

_"Yes, I would Nana," Jeno crossed his arms, leaning back against the tree._

_Jaemin chuckled where he stood, hand on a branch above to keep him from falling the thirty-foot drop. His eyes trailed over below, to see Mark about to reach into a large bush. His eyebrows furrowed as he narrowed his eyes for a closer look. A pair of glowing red eyes peeked through the gaps between the leaves, and Jaemin gasped._

_"MARK-HYUNG, NO!" he screamed, causing everyone including Mark to turn towards him. At that moment, the growls became louder as an Ursa minor pounced out of the bush, startling Mark and making him fall back. The creature roared, hovering its body over the smaller who was completely still, his eyes not filled with fear or shock, but more of amazement. This was his first encounter with a creature of Grimm, so he couldn't help but appreciate how ferocious-looking the creature was. It was bear-like, wearing a thick coat of black fur, with white bony spikes on its arms and spine. It also wore a large white skull mask with red detailing along the top of the head and sides of its face, however, the most prominent feature from this monster was definitely its gleaming red eyes that stared into his soul._

_Donghyuck gaped at the Ursa standing above Mark and gritted his teeth in anger. He equipped his dual gauntlets and sprinted over to the area. Jumping at the creature, he fired a punch, the explosive shot blasting the Ursa's body away from Mark. Jeno jumped from his branch, impaling his dual blades through the Ursa's unprotected stomach. The creature gave one last roar before it went limp, it's body disintegrating into black dust. Both Donghyuck and Jeno panted in relief._

_"Mark-hyung!" Jaemin jumped from the branch and immediately made his way to the older._

_Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung jumped up, after being frozen in shock, and ran towards Jeno and Donghyuck to check if they were okay. Jaemin grabbed Mark's shoulders, turning his gaze at where the Ursa previously was to him._

_"Holy shit. Are you okay?"_

_Mark blinked back to reality and stared at the younger._

_"Um, y-yeah, I-I'm fine. B-but what about...?" Mark glanced towards the rest of the team, pointing a shaking finger to them. Jeno and Donghyuck were helped up and they dusted themselves off of any dirt. The two that took out the Grimm were still panting heavily, hearts still racing at how unexpected that Ursa's arrival was. Mark sighed in relief to see them both not injured, keeping a lingering glance at Donghyuck, who was keeping his darkened gaze on the forest floor._

_"Everyone's good? No injuries?" Renjun asked, swiping his hand through his hair. Jaemin, Jeno, and Donghyuck nodded in unison. Mark continued to look over Donghyuck in concern, watching the orange-haired grit his teeth. He flinched when the latter suddenly whipped his head to glare at him, eyes flaring a crimson red._

_"Do you see what I meant? This is why I didn't want you to be out here! A place like this is too dangerous for someone like you!" Donghyuck shouted, striding towards Mark, who flinched again at the volume; however, the former didn't take notice of that._

_Mark gaped at Donghyuck in utter shock and confusion._

_"S-someone like me?"_

_"You of all people should know that you're extremely vulnerable in the outskirts of the kingdom! You should've fucking listened to me when I suggested you stay back home! Now, look at what happened! You could've gotten hurt, or worse, KILLED!" Donghyuck continued to shout, making everyone else go silent and wide-eyed._

_Mark stared in disbelief and narrowed his eyes in irritation. "What happened wasn't MY fault! It was no one's! We just happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time!" Mark raised his voice._

_"You just don't get it, do you? You don't belong out here," Donghyuck chided._

_"I belong with you guys!"_

_"WELL THEN MAYBE YOU DON'T!" Donghyuck roared, eyes glowing into a deeper crimson. The anger overflowed in Donghyuck's veins, causing him to burst, spewing words out of his control. The other Dreamies gasped, and Mark flinched once more, hurt filling his eyes._

_"I don't even understand why you're in NCT, let alone a combat school like SM if you can't do anything to defend yourself!"_

_Mark's hands and shoulders shook, his jaw clenched, eyes burning with incoming tears. All this yelling that was directed towards Mark, caused him to freeze up. His shaking eyes stared up at Donghyuck's looming figure, but no matter how hard he tried to focus his vision, all he saw was someone else in Donghyuck's position. Someone who was truly frightening enough to send him to a mortified state._

_"You wouldn't understand... don't blame me for what happened, if you know absolutely nothing...," Mark muttered, tears dripping down his pale cheeks._

_He harshly wiped his face and stood up, running back towards the camp base._

_"Mark-hyung!" Jaemin called, glancing back at the fuming Donghyuck before running to catch up with Mark._

_Donghyuck continued to pant before taking one long deep breath. Like an off switch, he blinked once, eyes returning to its original color. With the anger all diffused, Donghyuck finally processed everything he just said. He gasped and looked at the tiny retreating figures of Mark and Jaemin in the distance, eyes filled with guilt. He felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him in sympathy._

_"It'll be alright...," Jeno whispered. Renjun nodded from Donghyuck's left._

_"Let's go back to the base too. It's about time we pack everything so we could head back home," Chenle insisted, placing his hand on Donghyuck's other shoulder._

_Donghyuck nodded slowly, staring at his clenched fist. 'I fucked up big time...'_

~

"It was all my fault in the first place. And trust me, I tried to apologize, but I just couldn't find the right ti-"

Donghyuck got cut off by the door opening into the lounge room as soft steps padded against the carpeted floor. The group turned their heads to see Mark stepping in with something that looked like a metal backpack clutched to his chest as he was looking down at his scroll. When Mark pocketed his scroll, he froze to see the rest of his team all gathered in the room, staring at him. He scanned at the other's faces, finally stopping at Donghyuck, but immediately brought down his gaze in nervousness. Donghyuck just stared at Mark, his lips pressed in a thin line.

"Hey guys," Mark spoke up. Chenle perked up and cheered, "Hyung! Felt like forever since we last saw you!" The others sitting close to him nodded in agreement and Mark smiled guiltily.

"Yeah...I'm really sorry for that, I was just really busy doing something. But don't worry! I'm free for the rest of the week now. Thankfully summer still isn't over..." Mark offered anxiously.

Everyone cheered in excitement and ran up to the oldest to give him a big hug. Donghyuck stayed where he was, however, and only smiled softly, as well as feeling a little awkward at being left out. The hug dispersed and Mark hesitantly looked at Donghyuck. The two shared eye contact for what seemed like months, making it feel like they were the only two people in the room before Mark broke it, deciding to stare at the carpet again. Staring into Donghyuck's eyes gave Mark a burning sensation in his chest that just couldn't leave. The other Dreamies sensed the new awkward tension between the two and glanced at each other, knowing that they all had the same idea.

"Okay! We're gonna leave the two of you here to resolve your shit, while we will bring back some ice cream. Come on guys, let's hurry!" Jaemin ushered quickly, dragging Jeno and Jisung by the arms, as they all scurried through the door, leaving Mark and Donghyuck in the room. They both didn't spare the rest of their team a glance and only stayed where they were, fiddling in place. It wasn't until Mark sighed and walked towards the empty armchair next to Donghyuck. He set his weapon down behind him as he sat down awkwardly. He put his hands on his lap and took a deep breath, able to feel Donghyuck's heavy gaze on him. Donghyuck only fiddled with his hands as he looked at Mark in nervousness. Internally, they both knew this was their chance to finally try to fix their tension and try to bring things back to normal.

"Donghyuck-"

"Mark-"

They said in unison before staring at each other in surprise.

"You go first-"

"You go first-"

They paused again and both boys smiled sheepishly before Donghyuck raised his hand, about to stop Mark from saying something. Mark looked up towards the other, able to see the seriousness in his eyes and face.

"First off, I just wanna say I'm so sorry. It was really insensitive of me to say that shit to you before, and it was all my fault. I should've looked after you and protected you as I promised, but I just blew up at you and said that you didn't belong here when you do! Oz, you always belonged with us, with me! And I'm so sorry Mark-" Donghyuck began to rant, not realizing that small bit he blurted out, before getting interrupted by the other.

"I-It's okay. I forgave you for that awhile ago. It was just a little hard for me to approach you at the right time since I was so busy and you were with the others outside. And I understand why you got so upset in the beginning because you were right. There was a huge chance of me being exposed to danger and that's exactly what happened. If you and Jeno didn't react fast as you did, who knew what could've happened instead. I should've been more careful," Mark explained while looking at Donghyuck apologetically. The latter shook his head at Mark. Although Donghyuck was relieved to hear that the older forgave him for his mistake, he couldn't really forgive himself just yet.

"No, hyung. That doesn't matter. It's not about you tagging along to that trip. I went out of proportion. What I said to you at the end really hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt you like that," Donghyuck murmured, giving Mark a pained look in his eyes. Mark shrugged and gave a tight-lipped smile for reassurance.

"And I said it's okay. It's all in the past now. You were overtaken by your emotions and you couldn't control it. I'm...just glad you're not mad at me anymore," Mark whispered, keeping his eyes on the carpet floor. Donghyuck laughed awkwardly and went to grasp the other's hand, slowly rubbing his thumb on Mark's fingers. He tried not to take notice of the way Mark's hand stiffened at his touch.

"I could never stay mad at you forever. I'm madder at myself honestly. It took me so long to try and apologize to you. But, I couldn't find the right time. What have you been doing this whole summer?" Donghyuck asked Mark worriedly. The latter seemed taken aback at the sudden change of subject and he pondered over how to break the news.

"Umm, I was working on a certain project. I also wanted to talk to you about this sooner, but because of my busy schedule, I guess it was all I really thought about instead."

Donghyuck glanced at the backpack, peeking out of Mark's side before looking at the other with a smirk. "Is THAT your project?" he suggested with his eyebrows raised. Mark's eyes widened before scooting over and leaning back to properly hide the weapon from Donghyuck's view.

"Ummm...yes. And what of it?" Mark questioned, now trying to avoid the orange-haired boy's gaze.

"Well, aren't you gonna show me?"

Mark hesitated. He wanted to keep the reveal as a surprise for everyone. Although that reason was true, there was a hidden nervousness in his hesitation, for he didn't know what to expect of Donghyuck's reaction.

"Uh...it's a surprise?" Mark drawled, his voice cracking as he shifted a little bit away from Donghyuck.

Donghyuck raised his right eyebrow, his expression a clear depiction of the words 'are you serious?'. Mark pressed his lips into a line and looked at Donghyuck's eyes. After a long stare down that had Mark failing miserably with how expectant and stubborn Donghyuck's gaze was, the former sighed in defeat, and Donghyuck smiled in victory.

"It's...actually my new weapon," Mark revealed, trying to avoid Donghyuck's gaze, afraid of what his reaction will be. Donghyuck froze and stared at Mark in disbelief. He wasn't sure if he heard those words correctly.

"Your...what?"

Mark took a deep breath. He knew this was going to be hard to explain to Donghyuck.

"After our fight...I thought about what you said and it made me realize that I actually don't belong here in some aspects. So I decided that I wanted to do so much more with my life than be normal like other people in our city. I realized that I wanted to experience what you guys do every day," Mark explained, eyes not leaving his lap.

'I want to be strong like all of you...,' he didn't say out loud.

"So...are you saying that you're gonna train to become a huntsman now? When school starts?" Donghyuck asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Yeah," Mark nodded.

Donghyuck's eyes widened as he shook his head slightly. Mark wanted to become a huntsman. And so suddenly? He called his name to catch his attention and when their eyes met, Donghyuck was able to see the determination in his eyes Though there was a small quiver of anxiousness, the older's face was set. Mark was really sure about this.

"I-," Donghyuck tried to find his words. He took a deep breath before feeling a smile carve on his lips. "I'm not sure if I should be really excited or scared about this," he laughed. Mark smiled too for a brief second before giving a concerned look. "You don't think I should do this?"

"No no no, that's not what I'm saying. In fact, I'm really glad you are. You're deciding to take a big step for your future. I mean, I understand why you're doing this. You are the only one in the academy that isn't a trainee, so you were quite the odd one out. Even here with NCT, there's so much that we do as huntsmen in training with the hyungs that I can't imagine how lonely you might be. And I'm sorry for that by the way, especially since the incident was probably what triggered you into doing this further. I guess my only problem is that I'm scared," Donghyuck rambled as Mark listened intently.

"You're scared that trying to become a huntsman would be too much for me?"

Donghyuck nodded and smiled at Mark, grasping his hand tighter.

"I guess I just don't want anything bad to happen to you," Donghyuck admitted sheepishly. Okay, he knew he was being stupid and he knew that Mark was judging him for it, but could he blame him? He was just being a concerned best friend who may or may not be overly whipped and overprotective, but there was no way he was admitting the latter.

"Well as much it sounds appealing for you to be my 'knight in shining armor', I refuse to stay as a damsel in this story," Mark retorted in amusement, softly giggling at the sight of Donghyuck's flushed face.

"What about you? Are you scared?" Donghyuck lowered his voice.

Mark dropped his smile and thought for a moment.

"No. Not at all," he finally hummed. There were only a few things that scared Mark, such as bugs, drowning, and loud noises, but the thought of becoming a warrior and what lied ahead of that path didn't spark an ounce of fear in him. Back from that incident with the Ursa, Mark felt no fear even when the Ursa was about to attack him. Sure, he was startled and a little shocked at the appearance, but overall, that Grimm didn't seem scary to him. It was ironic how a monstrous beast from a species known to strike fear and panic among all of humanity couldn't compare to the monster that haunted Mark's entire existence and memory.

"I guess that's good then. Now, aren't you gonna introduce your weapon to me?"

Mark raised his eyebrows and sheepishly said, "I'll show you when the time comes." Donghyuck sighed and slowly stood up, bringing Mark with him, slightly shocking the latter.

"Welp. There's no way you're budging, so I guess I give. But are you gonna tell everyone soon?"

"Yeah, I plan to do so during dinner. That way everyone will be around to hear my news."

"I'm quite surprised that you were able to keep this a secret throughout the summer without any of the hyungs finding out," Donghyuck raised an eyebrow.

"They suspected something, but whenever they asked I just said it was a secret," Mark shrugged, awkwardly smiling.

Donghyuck chuckled, shaking his head.

"So you're gonna become a huntsman now huh? Well, I'm sure I can help you through that field," he pointed to himself, wearing a look of pride and pompous smug.

Mark nodded in agreement as he kept his gaze on the carpeted floor. To try and suppress his awkwardness, he tilted his head in playful thought. "Hm...what if I potentially become a better huntsman than you?"

Donghyuck threw his head back to laugh. "Oh, I don't think so. I've got way more experience behind my back than you do."

"True...I guess I just have to work extra hard then," Mark muttered, finger on his chin.

"Don't work too hard...after all, you're gonna be in your senior year, so that means a shit ton of exams will be on your shoulders as well!" Donghyuck laughed.

"Academics is easy," Mark rolled his eyes, resulting in Donghyuck to drop his smile and huff.

"Easy for you to say! You study when you're bored!" Donghyuck complained.

Mark giggled softly, keeping a tight-lipped smile and shrugged once more. At this point, it was clearly obvious to Donghyuck, although it hurt to see it himself. The way Mark stood, with his hands behind his back, shoulders slumped, and eyes on the floor and not into his own, with the addition of the constant shrugging.

'He's...not comfortable around me?' Donghyuck thought to himself, a statement more than a question, and he felt hurt at that revelation. However, he could only feel upset at himself, for he knew that he was the one at fault for their awkward tension. Donghyuck figured something was wrong when Mark tensed at every physical touch but he tried to ignore it before. He bit his lip and scratched his neck in wonderment of what to do or say next to fill the empty silence before he perked at a risky idea. He'd been wanting to do it since Mark stepped into the room and now was a good chance. Hopefully, it would rid some of the awkwardness.

Donghyuck went in for a hug, wrapping his arms around Mark's waist and resting his chin on the older's left shoulder. Mark flinched in surprise at the unexpected hug and couldn't help but let out a squeak at the closeness between the two. He could feel the blood rising to his cheeks and he hoped the younger wouldn't turn his head to notice the possible red in his face. All he could do was stand stiffly, not knowing what to do.

Even though they were best friends, they hardly ever hugged. Donghyuck was always the one to initiate physical interaction since he was clingy and enjoyed showing affection with hugs and kisses, however, Mark was quite the opposite. He didn't grow up giving or receiving physical interactions until he lived with the members of NCT because everyone who lived here was so god damn touchy. And well, let's just say that Mark still wasn't quite used to it.

"I really missed you," Donghyuck mumbled into Mark's ear, the latter hitching at the warmth of the other boy's breath. The words brought butterflies to his stomach and caused his heart to ache because he too, missed Donghyuck dearly.

Mark slowly brought his arms up to Donghyuck's back to hug him back.

"Me too," Mark whispered back, feeling content at this moment, however, he mentally kicked himself for physically being so cautious and stiff. Mark knew that the incident hit him deeper than he first realized because now he found it hard to be around his best friend the same way they used to be. He hated how, no matter how hard he tried to force himself to be comfortable, there was this inner reflex to pull away from Donghyuck.

Unbeknownst to him, Donghyuck, too, seemed to notice the slight hesitation and stiffness in Mark's hug back. Donghyuck internally sighed, as he knew that this tension between them would most likely linger for a long while. He just hoped that it wouldn't be this way forever.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Dreamies peered into the lounge room from the doorway, watching the two hug. They retreated to hide in the hallway and started to giggle and cackle to themselves, slapping each other while squealing.

"At least they made up," Renjun smiled along with Jeno, Chenle, and Jisung.

Jaemin nodded and smirked with a glint in his eyes.

"And they're closer than ever."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe that this chapter is over 6k words? OOF- what a jump from the last lmao. Anyways, here's the second chapter to HAVEN! I hope you guys enjoyed and please comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts and your opinions about the story or the writing. Look forward to the next, Rosebuds! 
> 
> Also, I've been so obsessed with the RWBY volume 7 intro but the full song STILL isn't out yet kms. I probably edited this whole chapter while listening to it on repeat. Would definitely recommend this song here's the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa7-VAQz_NY


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